ADVOCATE: Buc-ee's is closing in on a deal to come to south Louisiana. See where, what we know.

Popular convenience store giant Buc-ee’s is seeking to open a store at the northeast corner of Louisiana Avenue and Interstate 10 in Lafayette, documents show.

The development will cover most of the site that in 2018 was pitched as a site for a Super 1 grocery store and an adjoining retail center. Now Buc-ee’s wants to acquire nearly 500,000 square feet for the development with a 74,000-square-foot store, gas pumps and nearly 700 parking spaces, according to documents filed with Lafayette Consolidated Government.

Kimley-Horn, a North Caroline-based planning and design firm that has done construction work for other Buc-ee’s sites, has requested variances with the Board of Zoning Adjustment for the project for landscaping, required parking spaces and other details.

The board is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Community Development and Planning auditorium, 220 W. Willow St.

The project, which lies within the boundaries of an overlay district, must follow the architectural guidelines, but Buc-ee’s is requesting a variance to be consistent with its brand. Among its requests is for a sign that would be 125 foot high, which would well above the 30-foot limit but more visible to I-10 motorists.

Other requests include for less landscaping space and more parking spots than are required in the overlay district.

The news comes months after reports initially reported by KADN about Buc-ee’s seeking a space at that intersection, but indications then were the company was targeting property south of the exit next to Aldi.

Brookshire Grocery Co. is listed as the owner on the documents. The company bought a seven-acre lot in 2015 for $1.65 million but has never built on it, and the remaining land is owned by Castille Development Roadway Project LLC, which is registered to Charles A. Castille Jr. of Baton Rouge. 

The Lafayette Economic Development Authority is working with Buc-ee’s on the property, said president and CEO Mandi Mitchell, who noted the deal is not final and “several critical aspects” of the deal remain.

The company is expected to close on a deal to buy the property before any construction could begin, and it’s not known whether or not the retailer will purchase the entire 42-acre lot, which extends to east to Shadow Bluff Drive. Work on the site may not start for several months.

“We are excited for Lafayette for the potential to bring additional retail sales and jobs to our community,” she said.

If the deal happens, it would likely be the second Buc-ee’s location in Louisiana by the time it opens. The company’s Ruston location along Interstate 20 is expected to open next year.

The store could be one of the company's largest buildings. Buc-ee’s recently opened a store in Sevierville, Tennessee, that is 74,707 square feet that would be its largest, but a store in Luling, Texas, that is expected to open soon will exceed 75,000, reports indicate.

The proposed site is at an intersection that has become a growing commercial corridor since construction of the Target-anchored Stirling Lafayette shopping center was completed in 2011. Other development has followed, including a RaceTrac convenience store and Aldi.

Others are in the planning phase, including a 27-acre site at the northwest corner of Louisiana Avenue and Pont Des Mouton Road that preliminary plans include a 60,000-square-foot grocery store, a 25,000-square-foot hotel and spaces for restaurant and retail.

The property has drawn interest but there are currently no deals under contract, said Clinton Shepard, a commercial real estate agent with Lee & Associates. The owner’s preference is to ground lease or build to suit, but there are opporutnities to carve out smaller tracts to sell to the right buyer, he said.

Castille Real Estate Co., which owns small shopping centers in Carencro and other properties, bought the property for just under $2 million in November, records show.

It’s also unknown if QuikTrip will proceed with its plans to open at convenience store at property it bought across Louisiana Avenue. The Oklahoma-based convenience store got LCG approval earlier this year to move forward with its plans, which include 20 gasoline pumps for cars and six diesel bays for trucks. 

QuikTrip bought the property in 2022 and had planned to break ground last summer.